Compass

Update: Thanks to the good advice here I was able to remove the stickers from my cracked detector cover without damaging them. I applied heat from the inside of the old cover to protect the stickers from damage but I did overheat the plastic itself which is not a problem since it was cracked anyway. Any advice on what adhesive would be best for attaching the graphics to the replacement cover?

I recently found a new control box cover for my old White's PI Pro detector but it is just clear plastic. I'd like to remove the decals/labels from the old cover (pictured) and put them on the new cover. Is there a solvent that would break down the adhesive without damaging the decals? Thanks for any suggestions on this.

Welcome! I've had the Manticore for a month and my friend has had his Nox 900 almost a year. He has done well with the 900 at the beach, lakes and park and to me the 900 is a definite upgrade over the 800.                                              I am still learning the Manticore and have yet to use it in some challenging environments. I really like the wider options of detecting modes and audio tones that is has over the 800. It seems to hit "harder" on targets and I like so many of the other features as well.                                                     I bought a gently used Manticore for not much more than a new 900 would cost so I am very satisfied with my purchase and I'm sure my friend is with his too.

26 minutes ago, Tony said:

I'm also liking very much what I'm seeing....early days I know.

I certainly can't fault the fit and finish of how it's put together....not a creak or wobble anywhere on the shaft as well. The pod assembly is near flawless along the joins.

Just picked up some Thresher headphones today.......also very happy with the sound these put out.

Keep us informed on the black sands....down this way, the sands are like Florida sands although a few spots have a nice white top cover but below lurks a layer of black sand....does cause the Excal to false a bit on these areas. The GP3500 kills it here though 😀

Yes, I still have several pulse detectors for the black sand but it would be great if the Manticore handles it better than the Nox and Excal.

Congrats on the new detector! I picked up a Manticore recently and liking what I see from it. I plan on submerging it as needed and believe that it will fare better in the water than the Nox did. I'm really looking forward to using it in the wet sand after some beach erosion, very curious to see how it handles my black sand beaches.

Was your detector "falsing"?

On 12/6/2023 at 9:50 AM, phrunt said:

You can repair it as good as new with this

IPS Adhesives Weld-On 16 Acrylic Plastic Cement, Solvent Based Adhesive Clear 5 oz Tube (ellsworth.com)

Weldon Acrylic Glue (SCIGRIP 16) is especially formulated to bond acrylic (poly-methyl methacrylate) plastics. It can also be used for bonding styrene, butyrate, PVC, ABS and polycarbonate, as well as other plastics and porous surfaces.

SCIGRIP 16 is a very high strength, clear, medium bodied, fast curing, solvent-type acrylic cement. Applied to cast, molded or extruded acrylics, it will affect initial bonds very quickly so some parts may be handled within a few minutes. Bond strength continues to develop very rapidly reaching a substantial level and forming strong joints within hours. This product may be thinned with SCIGRIP 3 by approximately 10%. Initial bond forms very quickly so some parts may be handled within a few minutes of application. Joints are water and weather resistant and will generally have similar physical and chemical properties to acrylic plastic.

This stuff is absolutely awesome, not a typical glue by any means.  It's used for double glazed acrylic windows for campervans and caravans to hold the two panes together, and is perfectly clear but very strong.

Thank you Simon, I have a replacement cover on its way to me but I appreciate the information. This acrylic glue looks impressive! George.

Very sweet gold - congrats!!! It's awesome that your success was due to both your persistence and the current taking you to that spot. Fortune favors the bold.

58 minutes ago, cjc said:

I've  got one PM if you want it.  

cjc

PM sent!

Never found my pinpointer but I did find my spare car keys that I have been missing for a while! 😄   I wound up going to Bass Pro Shops and getting a Minelab Pro Find 35 pinpointer which is quite nice - loud and accurate.

On my first real dirt hunt with the Manticore I hunted 3 hours in an older park. I didn't feel like digging trash on this day so I focused on high conductor targets with TIDs 70 and above. I left the detector in Beach High Conductor mode where it has been for my first 3 hunts since I like the way the machine responds in that mode.

In 3 hours I found 6 clad quarters, 12 clad dimes, around 10 copper pennies (no wheats), a couple of zinc pennies, 2 keys, 3 or 4 sprinkler heads (mid 90s TID) and 2 pieces of trash - a washer and a brass fitting. I was really hoping for silver but pretty happy to not find much trash. Of course, I don't hunt this way at the beach where I pretty much dig it all but it's nice to have this option.

I didn't dig any crazy deep targets but most were deeper than I was expecting judging from the audio. So far, I really like the strong audio response to targets on the Manticore. It really belts out a high tone on non-ferrous targets. Like Skate, I also have to remind myself to look at the 2D screen because the audio is so convincing most of the time.

I have still yet to test the Manticore on some of my highly mineralized beaches and in deeper water but, so far, I am really pleased with it, especially, since I'm still learning to use it and haven't even hunted with the 15" coil yet. 

4 hours ago, TampaBayBrad said:

Good job Compass. You're going to like the machine even more the longer you use it.

Thanks TBB, I took the Manticore to a park today for it's first real dirt hunt. I learned a few more things about the detector which I will post about later. I'm more of a beach hunter than a dirt hunter but using the Manticore has been a lot of fun no matter where I use it.

5 hours ago, Skate said:

My first day in the dirt with the manticore was today. Hunted an avocado orchard that used to be ranch homes. Tons of metal in the ground. My biggest obstacle was forgetting there is a 2D screen. I'm not a regular screen user but rather a sound/tone digger. It took about 5 holes of crap to remember to look at the 2D screen for input. That's when it changed. I ended up digging 6 coins (I had to take a 1/2 hour phone call in the middle of my hunt and I only had two hours) and every coin rang up on the center line in the 2D screen. Nice little circle blobs, every one of them. I also continued to dig good tones that had 2D signatures that were around the line, a little misshapen, a little oblong and they all were junk. A few old bottle caps also came in on the line with a nice circle so the 2D line isn't perfect but it's a difference maker. 

I had 3 hours at the beach also with it this week and it was sanded in so unless it can reach 36" I wasn't going to recover a lot. For my wet sand it only quieted down when running ground tracking on. I could ground balance all day and it was super noisy but as soon as I turned ground tracking on it simmered down. 

I'll take it to a private park that I have picked over for the past 4 years and see if I can shake anything out of it. So far I like it so we'll see if I can actually get the coil over something of value. 

Funny but I also took my Manticore to a park near my home for its first dirt hunt today. I got 3 good coin targets but stopped digging for them when i realized that I didn't have my pinpointer with me. I left after about 15 minutes, went home  and never found my pinpointer. I hunted the dirt for years without a pinpointer and never gave it a second thought but now I can't hunt in the dirt without it. If I can find my pinpointer I'll go back tomorrow to dig those targets!

Welcome Elbows! I've heard a lot of good things about the Deus 2 and considered getting one. Good luck with it!

On 11/14/2023 at 7:13 AM, Compass said:

I was looking at my old PI Pro that I use as a loaner and was surprised to find a crack in the control box cover that might compromise its waterproofness. Someone out there may have a non-working PI Pro (or Dual Field) that is only good for parts and willing to sell me the box cover for $30? The covers are the same for a number of White's PI detectors - just with different decals and the covers are easily removed (no tools required). The dimensions are approximately 4" x 6-3/8", Thanks!

Much appreciated TC-AZ.

I just watched the trailer and it looks like a well-designed game but, again, targeted for a younger base? It seems centered around historical finds but I didn't dig too deep - many members here are into prospecting for natural gold and some even look for meteorites. That might be a nice add to the game if it isn't already a feature.

Hi Etienne and welcome to the forum. I'm just speculating here as to why no one has responded to your request for feedback on your game. Perhaps a lot of the members here are older like myself and gaming was/is not as popular with our generation? The members of this group seem to be more serious about treasure hunting than other forums (one reason I'm here). You might want to also explore some other forums or Facebook groups? Good luck! 

I thought that there would be a bigger reaction to this schematic but perhaps I'm missing something. The TDI Pulse Scan and TDI Pro have intrigued me for some time and now a Pulse Scan is on its way to me.                              My understanding is that this mod will smooth out a "warbly" threshold thus allowing the detectors to be operated at a higher gain for better performance. I'm no expert when it comes to electronics work but adding these additional components doesn't look too daunting of a task. However, would the detector need to be "calibrated" after the mod was done? If so, then maybe it is beyond my current capabilities. Perhaps I missed it but I didn't see any specifications for those additional diodes and resistor unless it's obvious to some of you by looking at the pictures?                Anyways, I find this whole subject of detector mods strangely alluring like some magical secrets only known to a few people.

2 hours ago, lcampbell165 said:

Ok, wow. Coming from an 800 this is crazy.  A lot to learn.

I live in Wichita Kansas so not a lot of beaches here.  But… I did use it at some of our sandpit parks and it preformed amazing. Lots of coins and a sterling silver bracelet.  
In the dirt is where I am struggling and I know it’s all me.  Having a hard time with numbers and screen plus tone.  It will take time.  

I agree that it will take time to better understand what the Manticore can do. I also think that learning the detector is a lot easier in the sand than in the dirt- signal, quick scoop and instant feedback. Someday I'll try the Manticore in the dirt/grass but hopefully by then I'll know a lot more about the machine.

On 11/27/2023 at 8:17 AM, Luis said:

In the buy and sell section there is a user who is looking for a TDI pro and would trade it for his manticore.  in case you haven't seen it

So in the "buy and sell section" there was a listing for a nice TDI Pulse Scan. The price seemed very reasonable so I was able to purchase it and still hang on to my Manticore. I'm now ready for some winter beach erosion. 

1 minute ago, Luis said:

In the buy and sell section there is a user who is looking for a TDI pro and would trade it for his manticore.  in case you haven't seen it

That user would be me Luis. 🙂 I would prefer to buy a TDI Pro without trading my Manticore or BeachHunter but whatever it takes.

35 minutes ago, strick said:

M-Core on the beach is a no brainer...I found it to hit coins similar in depth to my tdi pro...may get rid of the tdi now..some people are still having problems with it in the dirt...they will figure it out eventually. Lots of adjustments user friendly screen..you get the big coil for it? I here they are trickling out...

strick 

Thanks Strick, I do have the M15 coil and have tested but not hunted with it yet. I was actually going to use it on this most recent hunt but forgot to bring it with me! 

I just completed my 3rd hunt with the Manticore. It is a very small sample size but here are my initials thoughts on the detector.

It seems more powerful than the Nox 800. I haven't seen any extreme depth but, to me, it hits much harder and more definitively on targets. The handle vibration feature further enhances this sensation as well, IMO. 

I keep forgetting to look at the 2d screen but I like the combination of tones and black/red TID numbers which really help the non-ferrous targets jump out.

2 of these first 3 hunts were in the salty wet sand of back bay areas and other hunt was in shallow fresh water. The Manticore performed similarly well in both environments. Many times already have I heard/found good targets amongst other nearby targets both ferrous and non-ferrous. On 1 particular spot I had a persistent 80's TID peeking through a number of lower fluctuating TIDs. I scooped up a pencil fragment with its eraser holder followed by a small lead fishing weight before finding the last target in the hole - a clad dime.

I have yet to find gold with my Manticore but I have found silver on each of my first 3 hunts with it. My most recent hunt yielded a 1928 penny,  1920 & 1944 dimes and a 1919 nickel. I don't think any of my other 7 detectors could have found all 4 of these coins which I think is an indication of the Manticore's ability to sniff out desirable targets. 

Much more testing is needed but my early results are encouraging.

That's why you never tell people what you have found, even imaginary ones! 🙂

18k for your first gold ring is pretty sweet - congrats!!

I too just had my first Manticore hunt. I was impressed with the detector but forgot to look at the 2D screen most of the time because I'm just not used to having one. Between the audio, TIDs, red numbers and 2D screen there is a lot of information to process.

9 minutes ago, phrunt said:

I suspect the black sand was hindering the M15 coil as it's a good coil in the right conditions and noticeably deeper than the 11".  Great you've got yourself all rigged up to go with a Manticore now, sounds like you'll do well with it.

Thank you Simon, I believe that you are correct about the presence of mineralization affecting my test results. That's encouraging and I will do some additional comparisons in other locations.